A NEWTON Poppleford running novice will tackle the London Marathon for a cause close to his heart next Sunday.

A NEWTON Poppleford running novice will tackle the London Marathon for a cause close to his heart next Sunday. Richard Page, 24, of Hazel Close, will battle the gruelling 26-mile challenge on April 26 to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society - his mum Jenny has suffered from the debilitating disease since he was born. Richard, a teaching assistant at The King's School in Ottery St Mary, will also donate money to the Mountain Rescue Service but said the charity "close to home" is spurring him on as he steps up his training. He said: "I've grown up being aware of it [Multiple Sclerosis]. Many people are not aware of just how debilitating it is and it can really sap energy-making normal tasks quite difficult. "It's not as well known as other diseases - the money will go to helping people and research - they still don't understand the causes behind it." "I've never done a marathon before and had never really done any running before I started training in October. The cause has really helped me with the last month of training - and made all the pain seem worthwhile." "I'm feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves at the moment. I know it will be hard but hope to finish inside four hours." l To support Richard's bid go to www.justgiving.com/richard_t_page (Multiple Sclerosis) or www.justgiving/richard_page (Mountain Rescue